Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Create a Healthy & Gorgeous Home
My Decorating Plan
www.mydecplan.com
805.933.0222
When you start planning your next home "re-do" - think "healthy". Consider innovative home decor products that are both beautiful AND eco-friendly.
Today we face environmental health threats not encountered by earlier generations. The materials used in the building of today's homes contribute to indoor air pollution that has never before existed in the history of the human race.
Significant changes have occurred considerably with regards to construction and building practices, particularly since World War II and the energy crunch of the 1970's. The modern invention of adhesives, synthetic carpet, synthetic paints, etc., all contribute to a virtual chemical soup within our living space.
Studies have shown that the air pollution found within our homes can be up to 10 times greater than that of outdoor air pollution due to the out gassing process of the materials used and the tighter, more energy efficient structures.
When materials age and degrade, gases are released. These gases are called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Though not all VOCs are harmful, such as water, many can negatively affect our health. (That new car smell is a prime example of out gassing from the synthetic materials used).
We make better choices with nutrition and exercise but fail to understand that food is not the only element being ingested. Through our furnishings alone, formaldehyde, ammonia, insecticides, and many more toxins are breathed into our systems as they outgas.
Many of us suffer the effects without connecting a possible cause. Many symptoms such as headaches lethargy, and anxiety can be traced to out gassing chemicals within our own safe havens, our homes.
The good news is that we DO have choices. Going back to nature allows us more durability and longevity in building and furnishing materials. Fewer toxins create an improved air quality thereby creating an improved quality of life. By acting consciously for a healthier home environment, as we do for a healthier mind or body, we create Home, in the truest sense of the word. And when we start at the heart, the benefits travel outward. Our choices affect our lives and those of our loved ones, and finally, of the planet that sustains us.
